Dementieva Avoids Early Upset Thanks To Thrilling Three-Set Victory
Wednesday also marked the first day of the U.S. Open National Playoff series, with four players advancing.
STANFORD, Calif. (www.BankOfTheWestClassic.com) – Top seeds Samantha Stosur and Elena Dementieva followed first-round byes with second-round victories on Wednesday night at the 2010 Bank of the West Classic.
The tournament’s top two seeds advanced despite taking different paths into the next round. No. 1 seed Stosur looked sharp in a 6-1, 7-5 victory over qualifier Christina McHale while No. 2 seed Dementieva managed to squeak past Kimiko Date Krumm 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 in a match lasted two hours and 16 minutes.
Two other seeded players- No. 3 Agnieszka Radwanska and No. 7 Yanina Wickmayer- also prevailed. Radwanska defeated qualifier Olga Savchuk 7-6 (4), 6-2 and won the final five games of the second set. Wickmayer posted a second consecutive convincing victory, this time taking out Dominika Cibulkova 6-1, 6-4. Wickmayer, who has surrendered just nine games combined during her first two matches, will next face Stosur in the quarterfinals.
The fifth-ranked Australian was in control of her match despite a late charge from McHale, who was playing her fourth match in five days. Stosur won the final five games of the first set and rallied from a 5-4 deficit in the second set to claim the win. Making her third straight appearance at the Bank of the West Classic, Stosur is now 10-5 all-time at the event.
Dementieva pulled away for a grueling three-set victory over Date Krumm, who reached Wednesday’s headliner match following a three-set win over wildcard Dinara Safina two nights ago. After dropping the first set, Dementieva embarked on an impressive run that saw her win nine of the next 12 games overall. Leading 4-3 in the third set, the 2008 Olympic gold medalist did just enough to secure the win.
In addition to the conclusion of first round doubles play, four U. S. Open National Playoff matches were contested. Brittany Augustine, Kaitlyn Christian, Alina Jidkova and Evangeline Repic all registered victories.
Thursday’s schedule is arguably the most exciting of the week to date. The day session features marquee names such as No. 6 seed Shahar Peer, Maria Kirilenko, Melanie Oudin and an afternoon battle pitting Maria Sharapova against Olga Govortsova. The night session is headlined by a must-see match between defending tournament champion Marion Bartoli and Ana Ivanovic.
Tickets for the 2010 Bank of the West Classic can be purchased by calling the box office at 866-WTA-TIXS (866-982-8497) or by logging on to www.BankoftheWestClassic.com. The Bank of the West Classic is also offering several weekend packages starting at $240.
Entering its 40th year the Bank of the West Classic is the longest running women-only professional tennis tournament in the world. The list of past champions of the event reads like a “Who's Who” of women's tennis including Lindsay Davenport, Billie Jean King, Chris Evert, Martina Navratilova, Andrea Jaeger, Monica Seles, Martina Hingis, Venus Williams and Kim Clijsters.
ABOUT THE BANK OF THE WEST CLASSIC: The Bank of the West Classic is the longest-running women-only professional tennis tournament in the world and is the first stop of the Olympus US Open Series. A Sony Ericsson WTA Tour Premier event, the Bank of the West Classic features a 30-player singles draw and a 16-team doubles draw with total prize money of $700,000. Held on Stanford University's campus at the Taube Family Tennis Stadium since 1997, former champions include: Billie Jean King, Chris Evert, Martina Navratilova, Andrea Jaeger, Monica Seles, Martina Hingis, Lindsay Davenport and Venus Williams. The Bank of the West Classic is owned and operated by IMG.
ABOUT BANK OF THE WEST: Based in San Francisco, $61 billion-asset Bank of the West (www.bankofthewest.com) offers a full range of business, corporate, personal, trust and international banking services. For the third year in a row, Bank of the West has been ranked "highest in customer satisfaction in retail banking" in California by J.D. Power and Associates. The Bank operates more than 700 branch locations and commercial banking offices in 19 Western and Midwestern states. Bank of the West's holding company, BancWest Corporation, is a subsidiary of BNP Paribas, among the six strongest banks in the world, according to Standard & Poor's.
